Policy Pick: New Brief Recommends Tax on Sugar-Sweetened Beverages

The brief, "Sugary Drinks: A Big Problem for Little Kids," was developed by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy with First 5 LA's Policy Department. The nine-page research-based paper examines the significant role sugar-sweetened beverages play in the rise in childhood obesity rates among young children, and provides a number of policy solutions to the epidemic at the federal, state and municipal levels.

According to the brief, national obesity rates have increased by more than 100 percent in children ages 2 to 5 since the 1980s. In California, 10.5 percent of children ages 2-5 are overweight. The rates are even higher among children from low-income families at 17 percent. This increase in obesity comes with a hefty price tag: California loses more than $41 million each year due to obesity and physical inactivity, according to estimates in the brief.

Children who are obese are more likely to suffer the same problems as adults and could likely develop high cholesterol, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular conditions and other diseases later in life. The increased health care costs associated with these diseases represent a substantial burden on both state and federal governments, providing them with a greater stake in interrupting the cycle of obesity.

The passage of an excise tax would create a disincentive for the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, while also providing a source of funding that could be used to prevent and treat childhood overweight and obesity. Other groups that support the development of a sugar-sweetened beverage excise tax as an effective solution to the obesity epidemic include the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The full policy brief can be found here. For more information or to get involved, contact First 5 LA Senior Policy Analyst Kate Sachnoff at KSachnoff@First5LA.org.

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